A Price To Pay
by Buffy Crazy
Summary: Back story in season 3 of why Cordelia lost everything.


**Cordelia Chase :**

**A Price To Pay**

Twelve Years In The Past...

James Chase parked his Mercedes Benz in the parking lot and stepped out of it. He walked past several other cars and reached hole in the wall, cracks sprouted from the edges. He stepped through the hole and blinked as light flooded the area.

"Why does a human seek me?" a voice bellowed, echoing throughout.

James stepped completely out of the hole and looked at the place he was in, the room was filled with shelves, jars stood on the shelves, shimmering white clouds filled them.

"I seek you, demon because I need help," James replied.

Burghar walked out of the shadows, looked at James and laughed. Burghar's scaly green skin seemed to glow in the light, he was wearing a grey suit, "A human needs a demon's help. How ironic."

"This is no laughing matter," James shouted.

"What because you need my help I should consider your feelings? Like I care how you feel, I'm demonic," Burghar walked closer to James.

James got alert and stood opposite the demon, "Don't you want to know why I seek you?"

"Not really. But very well, speak," Burghar replied.

"I need help paying my taxes and I heard that you were the person to come looking for," James replied.

"Well why didn't you just say so? And technically I'm not a person," Burghar walked closer to James and shook his hand. "Shall we move to my desk?"

James walked across the area and sat down on a chair, Burghar took the one opposite.

"What can you do for me?" James asked as he looked at the sharp implements on Burghar's desk.

"Don't worry about those," Burghar reacted to James shock face look. "Now, I can pay your taxes for ever, but there will be a price."

"What's the price?" James asked.

"About one hundred thousand dollars is all," Burghar replied.

"I have that kind of money just not enough for taxes," James picked the briefcase he had been carrying with him and handed it to Burghar. "I thought there would be a price so I just brought some money."

"That's just swell," Burghar put the briefcase down by the desk.

"Aren't you going to count it?" James asked nervously.

"I'm pretty sure you wouldn't cheat a demon," Burghar replied. "Now I just need to write up the contract and then you have to sign."

"That's good. I can wait," James replied.

Burghar switched on the computer and started to type. After a while the printer whirred and a sheet of paper landed on the desk.

"If you can just sign here and here," Burghar passed James a pen and James signed his name. "And now you can go."

James stood up from the chair and walked out of the area. He got back into his Mercedes Benz and drove home to his wife and daughter.

Back in the office Burghar settled the sheet of paper on his desk reading what it said. 

_I sign away my soul after twelve years of paid taxes. Signed James Chase_.

Cordelia Chase parked her car outside the house and stepped out. The day had consisted of Buffy's usual demon talk and her own tactics at trying to get Wesley to ask her out to dinner.

She walked up the steps and through the double doors. She headed straight for the staircase before realising she didn't have a dress for prom. She bounced down the stairs, into the kitchen. Her parents were talking, standing at the worktop.

"Daddy, Prom is coming up and I need a new dress," Cordelia looked at her parents. "I wanted to buy this really great dress I saw in April Fools it only costs three hundred dollars."

"No," James replied.

"But Daddy..." Cordelia began to argue.

"I said no!" James shouted.

"Mom!" Cordelia shouted.

"Listen to your father, Cordelia," Jessica replied.

"I don't understand," Cordelia whispered. "How can you make a mistake on taxes for the last twelve years?"

"I should never have gone to see Burghar," James held his head in his hands.

Cordelia stood up and started to pace the room, arms crossed, "So what you go to see this person and then you sign a contract that says he will pay our taxes for twelve years?"

"Forever," James replied.

"And you knew about this?" Cordelia glared at her mother.

"Yes," Jessica replied.

"And neither of you thought that this sounded a little dodgy?" Cordelia asked.

"No," James stood up. "You'll have to get a job."

"A job? Me? Working?" Cordelia asked.

"Yes. We need to be able to afford all of our stuff," James replied.

"No way will we be able to afford all of this," Cordelia shouted. "So what the person never actually payed our taxes anyway?"

"Yes," Jessica replied.

"Where am I supposed to work?" Cordelia asked.

"At the mall," Jessica suggested.

"The mall? My friends go to that mall," Cordelia argued, her parents glared. "Whatever."

Cordelia stormed out of the room and out of the house. She slammed the front door behind her and walked down the block. She was heading to the high school, to the library. 

She reached the library and pushed one of the doors open, she looked around the room, looking to see if Giles and/or Wesley were around, they weren't. She walked into the library proper and tiptoed toward the stairs. She walked up them and went to a book shelf, picking up a book she opened it up at the contents page.

"Loan shark demons," Cordelia opened the page at that chapter. The demons on the page wore suits and had shark heads and fins. _I need a way to speed this up,_ Cordelia thought to herself. _Ooh. Index._

Cordelia turned to the back of the book, looking under B. "Barach demons, Bludgar demons, Burghar demons," Cordelia tapped the name with her finger and opened the pages.

Suddenly she heard the double doors open and voices, "So Faith's evil?" Xander asked. 

"Yeah you heard what Buffy said," Willow replied. 

Cordelia pulled her bag off her back and unzipped the zipper. The voices were getting closer, footsteps nearer. She put the book in her bag and zipped it back up. She stood up and crept into the stacks. The voices faded away and the swing doors closed. Cordelia walked out of the stacks and down the steps, running through the double doors and out of school. 

Cordelia dumped her bag on her bed and opened it up. She pulled out the book and opened the page she had book marked. She sat down on the bed and started to read.

_Burghar demons get their victims when their victims go to them about money troubles. They get money from the human and then they type up a contract. The fine print says that the person's soul is sold and now belongs to the demon, after the time on the contract is up. They don't pay the payments and the humans go bankrupt. No amount of money can pay the amount._

Cordelia bounded into the living space, and pushed the book into her father's arms. "Is that him?"

"What?" James asked, startled.

"Is that the person, or should I say demon you made a deal with twelve years ago?" Cordelia asked.

Jessica walked into the room and looked over James' shoulder at the pages, "What's that honey? A school text book?"

"No that's the demon daddy made a deal with," Cordelia replied.

"Demon?" Jessica asked.

"Yes. Demons, vampires, Inca Mummy Girls they're all real," Cordelia replied. "And one of my friends kills them professionally."

"That's him," James replied.

"You sold your soul to a demon. A demon and he hasn't been paying the taxes, and now we will lose everything thanks to you and your mistakes," Cordelia crossed her arms.

"How did you know that Burghar was a demon?" James asked.

"The name sounded pretty demonic," Cordelia replied.

"And you got this book from where? Some alternate reality that deals with this stuff?" Jessica asked.

"No actually I got it from my high school library. The librarian deals with this stuff," Cordelia replied.

"Oh huh," Jessica replied.

"So what now?" James asked.

"We lose everything and I get a job, or move," Cordelia replied.

"Move to where?" Jessica asked.

"Somewhere where you aren't. After graduation day I'm leaving Sunnydale and I'm going to Los Angeles to get a job in television," Cordelia replied.

James started to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Cordelia asked.

"You and your stupid dreams. You a TV star?" James asked.

Tears filled Cordelia's eyes, " That isn't you. You're losing your soul."

"What is he going to go evil?" Jessica asked.

"Yes," Cordelia replied. "Eventually."

Cordelia walked into the April Fools shop on the high street and approached the counter.

"Excuse me," Cordelia got the workers attention. The name tag on the workers clothes said Amanda Brady. 

"How can I help you?" Amanda asked.

"I was looking for a job," Cordelia replied.

"I think we have a position," Amanda replied. "Let me just check with Clare Bilderback, the manager."

Amanda disappeared into the stock room and Cordelia looked around the room that was her potential place of work. She was looking at one of the dresses when a familiar blonde walked over to her.

"What's the matter, Cor? Daddy not got any money anymore?" Harmony asked.

"What do you want?" Cordelia asked.

"Or is it that you don't have any money left and so you need a job to buy that oh so important Prom dress?"

"No I need a job is all," Cordelia replied.

"Like whatever," Harmony stormed out of the shop, Amanda reappeared with a stern looking woman.

"Hi this is Clare, the manager," Amanda introduced Cordelia.

"I'm Cordelia Chase. I was looking for a job and I was wondering if you have any openings," Cordelia introduced herself.

Clare glared at Cordelia and then glanced at Amanda, "We have an opening. Do you think you'd be able to work here?"

"I think I'll be able to," Cordelia replied.

"Fine if you'd like to come into the stock room I'll interview you," Clare walked into the back and Cordelia followed.

Cordelia reached her house, uniform in hand. She opened the door and walked into an empty hall. She walked into the empty kitchen and living space. She ran up the stairs and walked throughout the bedrooms. Emptiness is all she found.

She walked back down the stairs, dress hung over her arm. She found her mother in the basement, crying.

"Mom? What happened?" Cordelia asked.

"They came and took everything," Jessica looked up at her daughter, her eye caught Cordelia's uniform. "What is that?"

"My uniform," Cordelia replied. "I'm working at April Fools. Where's dad?"

"He hit me and then he walked out, said something about going to his master," Jessica replied.

"I'm gonna go out on a whim here and guess that dad has gone complete psycho, and his master is Burghar," Cordelia replied.

"Yes I think so," Jessica replied. 

Cordelia walked out of the basement and the house.

Cordelia shoved the uniform in her locker and then pushed the doors open to the library.

"Cordelia what's wrong?" Buffy ran over to Cordelia, a serious look had formed on the brunette's face.

"You need to come. I need you to kill him," Cordelia replied.

"What? Who? You're not making any sense," Buffy pushed a chair and Cordelia sat down.

"Cordelia what's wrong?" Wesley stepped out of Giles' office.

"Buffy has work to do," Cordelia stood up and walked over to the book cage. She opened the weapons cabinet and pulled out a sword. "And so do I."

Cordelia walked out of the doors of the library, Buffy followed, crossbow in hand. Xander and Willow appeared and followed too.

Cordelia stepped through a hole in a wall, in the middle of the parking lot. She walked up to a desk and saw a scaly green demon. She swung the sword and chopped off the demon's head.

"That was easy," Cordelia turned around to face her father. "Dad?"

"You're Cordelia's dad?" Buffy, Willow and Xander asked in unison.

James spun around and looked at the Scoobies, "This isn't my daughter. My daughter would never kill my master."

"Actually I would and I just did," Cordelia replied. "The bitch is back."

"Did she ever leave?" Xander muttered to Willow.

"Hey! I'm trying to sound intimidating here," Cordelia snapped. "Buffy kill him."

"What? You want me to kill your father?" Buffy asked.

"He isn't my father. Actually he is but he is evil, he hit my mom and he killed people, and he has no soul, kinda like Angel," Cordelia replied.

Buffy charged at James and kicked him in the face, she elbowed him in the chest and then round housed him to the floor. She aimed her crossbow and shot him through the heart.

"Thanks," Cordelia replied.

"So your father never said where he was going?" Jessica asked.

Cordelia stood in the hall, just finished at April Fools, "No he just left. Guess he couldn't handle it."

"What the fact that we have nothing?" Jessica asked.

"Yeah. And we do have stuff. We have the money you're bringing in and the money I'm bringing in," Cordelia replied.

"I guess you're right," Jessica replied.

Fade To Black


End file.
